!

Global Information
Systems Project
November 23, 2015

Regan Arnold, Ellory Brunner,

Courtney Hicks, Madison McKinley

Business Information Systems J. Nelson | Fall 2015

Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...............................................................................................5
Background ...................................................................................................................5
Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 5

Company Description ............................................................................................. 6

International Expansion ........................................................................................6
Process Model Improvements ................................................................................8
Collaboration Analysis and Recommendation ..................................................... 9
Evaluation and Selection of System ............................................................................. 9
Collaboration System Usage .......................................................................................11

Enterprise System Strategy .................................................................................11

ERP Analysis and Recommendation ...........................................................................11
ERP Implementation Challenges ................................................................................ 13
CRM Analysis and Recommendation .........................................................................14
CRM Solution Implementation Challenges ................................................................ 15

Social Media Analysis and Recommendations....................................................16

Mobile Strategy ....................................................................................................19
Mobile Application Strategy Ideas.............................................................................. 19
Benefits ...................................................................................................................... 21
SuiteStyle App Usage .................................................................................................24

Cloud Usage ........................................................................................................... 27

Business Intelligence .............................................................................................28

!2

Information Security Recommendations ............................................................31

Database Needs and Modeling ............................................................................33
Company Needs .........................................................................................................33
Tangible and Intangible benefits .................................................................................34
Implementation challenges .........................................................................................34
Entity-Relationships Diagram .....................................................................................35

Pilot Access Database ............................................................................................36

Tables ..........................................................................................................................36
Forms ..........................................................................................................................37
Queries ........................................................................................................................ 37
Reports ........................................................................................................................ 41

Appendix ................................................................................................................43

Tables ..........................................................................................................................43
Customer Information .........................................................................................................................43
Order Information ...............................................................................................................................44
Package Details ...................................................................................................................................45
Payment Details .................................................................................................................................. 47
Product Information ............................................................................................................................48
Shipping Methods ...............................................................................................................................49

Queries ........................................................................................................................ 50
Shipping Method by Day of Week ......................................................................................................50
2014 Revenue ......................................................................................................................................51
Best Selling Product by State ..............................................................................................................52
Giftcard Usage by State ......................................................................................................................54
Number of Orders per X Amount .......................................................................................................55
Products Out of Stock .........................................................................................................................56
Revenue Lost to Amex Fees ...............................................................................................................60
Shipping Methods by State .................................................................................................................61
Weekend Orders .................................................................................................................................. 62
Weekend Orders 2015 .........................................................................................................................64

Forms ..........................................................................................................................65
Customer Information .........................................................................................................................65
Order Information ...............................................................................................................................66
Payment Details .................................................................................................................................. 67

Reports ........................................................................................................................ 68
Customer Billing Information .............................................................................................................68
Customer Contact Information ...........................................................................................................71
Customer Orders .................................................................................................................................72
Customer Payment Information .......................................................................................................... 75
Orders by Shipping Method ............................................................................................................78
Shipments to Texas .............................................................................................................................81
Total Amount Due per Product ...........................................................................................................84

Division of Labor ................................................................................................... 91

!3

November 23, 2015

!4

Executive Summary
Background
With only 14 months of operation, SuiteStyles goal is a fairly new competitor in the interior
design industry. Since it is such a young company, SutiteStyle can still improve in the areas of
brand marketing, smooth expansion, information systems strategy, and internal business
processes. SuiteStyles success in the domestic market has prompted an international expansion.
Although a profitable decision for most companies, SuiteStyle must do so with caution in order
to maintain core business functions and avoid over reaching its current market. The team has
provided recommendations regarding improvements in brand marketing, smooth expansion,
information systems strategy, and internal business processes for SuiteStyle in its international
expansion. All of these goals will be met while achieving the highest level of consumer
satisfaction by providing a superior array of products.
Due to the nature of the creation of SuiteStyle, a major strength of the company is its ability to
satisfy individual customer needs. Through heavy reliance on social media and customer
satisfaction, SuiteStyle can personalize individual customer experiences. As a company, the
quality of service and products are of utmost importance. SuiteStyles relatively small size lends
a hand to these goals. On the other hand, the companys small size can pose serious challenges
when implementing new business strategies and technologies. Once SuiteStyle expands into the
international market, current business processes will be strained. These strains can be eased by
implementing new technology and updating current information systems.

Recommendations
The team recommends that SuiteStyle maintains its current social media presence
and implements a mobile application to increase company awareness. To streamline company
organization, strategies, communication, and ideas, SuiteStyle should invest in collaboration and
knowledge management systems, information systems, and enterprise systems. Below is a brief
outline of the steps necessary to implement new strategies:
1. Use a collaboration and knowledge system to streamline information flow within the
company.
2. Continue to utilize various social media platforms in order to build customer awareness.
3. Implement a user-friendly optimal usage mobile application.
4. Utilize a cloud service to accommodate for an international expansion.
5. Improve data based business decision making by implementing a business intelligence
information system.
This document provides an in depth analysis of SuiteStyle and its current position in the interior
design industry as well as recommendations for implementing the above strategies. By taking
advantage of these improvements, SuiteStyle can benefit from increased brand recognition,
enhanced flow of information, and improved company organization.

!5

Company Description
SuiteStyle exists to distribute superior furnishing products that influence the interior design
market while providing customers with an unparalleled experience. As SuiteStyle establishes
itself as a leader in interior design, it will continue to balance the delivery of exceptional
products with outstanding customer service. To achieve these goals, SuiteStyle will remain
mindful that as a socially responsible firm, an obligation remains to respect the needs of all
stakeholders. These stakeholders include not only shareholders, customers, and employees, but
also society as a whole. By committing to meet these social responsibilities, SuiteStyle will
create an exceptional work environment that maximizes profit and increases the wealth of
shareholders.
In 2014, college suite-mates Regan Arnold, Ellory Brunner, Courtney Hicks, and Madison
McKinley were struggling to furnish their TCU dorm room. After extensive online research and
collection of various pieces of dcor from dozens of stores, the four friends came up with the
idea for SuiteStyle. The concept first came to life in an accumulation of Pinterest boards that the
girls compiled over the summer leading up to their first semester of college. Each board was
individualized with a different style or color scheme for their dorm rooms. After receiving an
unexpected surge of followers, the girls expanded their online presence to Instagram and
Facebook where they received even more positive feedback. Thus, SuiteStyle was born. A
company founded by college students, those with the least amount of spare time and money,
aimed at those looking to streamline their interior design processes. SuiteStyle provides its
customers with an efficient way to decorate and furnish living spaces.
SuiteStyle curates and distributes products that satisfy each of their customers needs. Constantly
updating their packages and products, SuiteStyle stays on-trend with current pattern and product
demand to provide their customers with a superior experience. The best way to achieve longterm success is through the formation of a loyal customer base. This is accomplished by
continually providing a superior product to satisfy each customer through a streamlined and userfriendly experience. Since SuiteStyle started on the internet, it is most familiar to the tech-savvy
generation. Existing as a pure-play business, operating only online without a physical store,
SuiteStyle targets a specific audience that it feels will best utilize and expand its business.
After its establishment in mid-2014, SuiteStyle employed a distribution plant in Detroit,
Michigan. Here, products are collected from suppliers, assembled into packages, and shipped out
to consumers. The central location of this plant in the United States made it an ideal place to
distribute product to customers across the country.

International Expansion
Due to SuiteStyles initial boom of success in the domestic market, the company will soon
expand internationally. This boom surged from a large online following, coupled with an
explosion of interest spread by satisfied customers. The first step in expanding a company
beyond its original borders is to determine the best location for the brand and product. An initial
!6

expansion into the United Kingdom would most benefit SuiteStyle because of the similarities
between the United States market and that of the United Kingdom. Both countries yield similar
populations that demand a similar array of products. By expanding into the United Kingdom,
SuiteStyle would be doubling its customer base without having to dramatically change its
marketing techniques or product line to fit the needs of the new customers.
Although an expansion will lead to an increase in sales, and thus profits, it will also result in an
array of challenges from expanding information systems. SuiteStyle currently utilizes a variety
of information systems such as a database, website, and mobile app. Each of these systems must
be updated to accommodate an expansion out of the United States and into the international
market.
Of utmost importance is SuiteStyles customer information. The current database has to be
modified to account for international phone numbers, emails, and billing and shipping addresses.
This will require the addition of the country field, an alteration to the formatting of the phone
number, zip code, and state fields. Without changing the formatting of these fields, SuiteStyles
database will not be able to accommodate international customers information and thus will be
incapable of satisfying the customers demands.
SuiteStyles current database only stores data in a United States dollar currency format. This
poses an information system challenge when the company expands beyond the United States and
processes payment in a currency other than the dollar. The database must be updated to
accommodate the British pound in multiple tables. SuiteStyle will also have to convert unit
prices into the British pound when displayed on the companys website and mobile app. The
exchange rate between currencies poses another challenge. The dollar and pound have a dynamic
relationship rather than a static relationship. This forces SuiteStyle to constantly monitor the
exchange rate between the two currencies and adjust pricing as needed.
Another information system challenge that SuiteStyle will face as a result of an international
expansion is time stamping. Order Date and Order Process Date are two important details
involved in SuiteStyles business processes. The United Kingdom is not on the same time zone
as the United States; this forces SuiteStyles information systems either to choose a single time
zone to adjust all others to, or to create an additional level of specification and include time zone
markers with all Order Dates and Order Process Dates. If not done correctly, this can cause
serious problems with shipping resulting in dissatisfied customers. SuiteStyles information
systems are tasked with adapting to this challenge in a way that furthers the business and helps
its customers in the most efficient manner.
The next necessary step is to convert SuiteStyles website and mobile app to be internationaluser-friendly. This poses significant information system challenges to SuiteStyle. Since the
United Kingdom is a part of the European Union, it has fairly loose borders. Its population,
although very similar to that of the United States, hosts a variety of people who do not speak
English. SuiteStyle will have to implement a language feature on both its website and mobile app
to accommodate customers in the United Kingdom who do not speak English. In order to
!7

continue providing users with a customer-friendly experience and a fast responding system,
SuiteStyle should implement multiple versions of the same website to compensate for slower
bandwidth.

Process Model Improvements

!
The process model above features the online transaction process for SuiteStyle. It serves as a
valuable resource for SuiteStyle by creating a systematic method to complete online transactions.
The model is split into five different swim lanes representing the relevant departments that
contribute to the process depicted. Each department has different roles within the model, and at
times these actions must occur simultaneously to ensure the efficient completion of a transaction.
The Process Model for Online Transactions occurs when the customer places the order online
through the SuiteStyle website or mobile app. The order is submitted directly within the sales
department. In order to ensure effective communication with the customer, the sales department
then emails the customer to confirm that SuiteStyle received their order. At the same time, the
order is transferred to the billing department for payment method authorization. If the payment is
not valid, it is sent back to sales and the customer is contacted directly to resolve the issue. If the
payment problem cannot be resolved, the order is cancelled. If the payment is approved, the
billing department prepares an invoice while inventory processes the order. If the purchased
product is not available, inventory orders more of the product. Once inventory confirms the
product availability or receives the refill order, the shipping department packages and ships the
product. At this time, the customer will receive a shipping confirmation email with an attached

!8

tracking number. Billing confirms that the order has shipped, sends the invoice to the customer,
and the customer receives the product.
This process model will be an essential asset to SuiteStyle as it expands its processes. Not only
does it assist SuiteStyle in understanding primary responsibilities within the company, but it also
aids in identifying kinks in the process modeled. The utilization of an accurate process model of
an online transaction will be a valuable resource as SuiteStyle expands within the United States
and internationally to the United Kingdom.

Collaboration Analysis and Recommendation

Evaluation and Selection of System
As SuiteStyle expands globally to the United Kingdom, implementing an information system to
promote collaboration between and among employees and businesses is essential to the
companys success. If SuiteStyle does not integrate effective collaborative tools, the company
will lack a cohesive flow of information causing a major set-backs and losses in competitive
advantages. As it expands, SuiteStyle aims to utilize a system in which employees around the
world continue to achieve a high level of responsiveness and cohesion within the organization.
Useful collaboration tools will connect the insights of individuals, allowing employees to share
ideas, discuss business dilemmas, collaborate on solutions, and implement effective decisions.
SuiteStyle will be able to plan more efficiently from collaboration tools that provide resources
for a companywide calendar, announcements, and meeting notices, attendees, goals, and minutes.
Furthermore, other resources such web pages, surveys, and the capability to share documents,
lists, and links will incorporate uniformity as the company expands. SuiteStyle is in demand of a
collaborative information system that includes the easy access of all of the aforementioned tools
in one place. After initial research, information systems such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides,
Blackboard, and Microsoft SharePoint could potentially satisfy this demand.
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are productivity apps that allow different types of documents to
be created and worked on simultaneously by several users. It is a free Web-based application
where documents are created, edited, and stored. Users can access files from any computer with
an Internet connection and a full-featured Web browser. Although this information system is not
a Microsoft tool, it is similar to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint but provides the added
benefits of online storage and peer editing. The largest advantage of Google Docs, Sheets and
Slides is its ease of accessibility. Users can access the files at anytime, anywhere in the world,
while collaborating with other coworkers. SuiteStyle would benefit from this as the company
expands and takes on new employees around the world; coworkers could communicate and work
on documents together no matter the time or place. Another advantage of Google Docs, Sheets,
and Slides is version control. Version control is the ability to monitor the version of a document
that users are editing. The free program is fairly simple easy to learn, and free of document
sharing compatibility issues due to its import/export features.

!9

Although there are many advantages to this collaboration system, it does have some downfalls.
Since Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides stores all documents online, system downtime occurs
when there is limited or no internet access. Additionally, the system is limited in the format of
documents supported. Compared to other programs, it leaves little room for a company to
customize based on its individual needs. Most importantly, because of Google docs flexibility,
the security of the company has the potential to be jeopardized. Even though Google Docs,
Sheets, and Slides presents many collaborative advantages, it does not fit well with the business
and information goals of SuiteStyle. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides it is not the most secure or
customizable system, which can be harmful to SuiteStyle during its global expansion. The team
recommends that this collaboration system should not be implemented.
Another collaboration information system is called Blackboard. Blackboard enhances company
communication and collaboration via virtual conferencing solutions. Through web-conferencing,
Blackboard enables employees to send messages tailored to specific audiences while also
enabling efficient interaction with colleagues in real-time. Blackboards mass notification system
quickly sends high-quality and dependable messages to targeted individuals. This enables
security, timely communications, and improved outreach within and outside of a company. The
system utilizes a wide range of communication methods such as mobile devices, e-mail, SMS,
and more. Additionally, Blackboards web-conferencing solutions can be used in any modern
workplace and includes two-way VoIP, multi-point video, built-in phone conferencing,
interactive whiteboard, and desktop and app sharing. Permitted users can join any web
conference from an iPhone, iPad, or Android at any time. Furthermore, Blackboard promotes
personalization, allowing each employee or user to have a personalized profile. The system also
includes drag-and-drop sharing for most file types used in business settings. All of these
characteristics serve as advantageous tools to enhance company collaboration.
However, Blackboards disadvantages may prove to hinder more than help SuiteStyle as the
company expands into the United Kingdom. For example, Blackboards virtual communication
approach can result in one person dominating a conference by giving more input on a project
than other participants. This over-participation can limit other employees opportunities to speak
their mind, share ideas, and contribute to the knowledge pool from which effective decisions are
made - essentially defeating the purpose of collaboration. Though Blackboard would eliminate
SuiteStyles geographical barriers as the company expands internationally, it does not include the
various collaborative tools needed to best benefit the company. Conclusively, Blackboard is not
the best fit for a collaboration information system for SuiteStyle.
Microsoft SharePoint is another collaboration solution that could further SuiteStyle as it expands
into the United Kingdom. SharePoint is a browser-based content management system that
provides a collaboration and document management platform, allowing groups to set up a
consolidated and password protected space for document sharing. It is a secure place to store,
organize, share, and access information from any device that has a web browser. Microsoft
SharePoint has countless features that will benefit SuiteStyle. These features include maintaining
a company calendar, sharing documents, task lists, announcements, surveys, and several more.

!10

Also, with SharePoint, SuiteStyle can customize the website appearance and create permission
levels enabling, and limiting, employee access to documents and Web-pages.
Just as the previously mentioned systems, SharePoint has its own set of disadvantages.
SharePoint is easy to access and use, but it can become difficult to manage unless each employee
fully understands the projects processes and objectives. In order to overcome this problem, all
SuiteStyle employees must be thoroughly informed and have a deep understanding of the
companys projects. Unlike many other collaboration systems, SharePoint does not have video
conferencing feature. However, it has many other forms of communicating that SuiteStyle can
use to the companys advantage such as discussion boards and blog pages. SharePoint links all
employees PCs and mobile devices together, generating effective communication and
collaboration. It provides continuous access to any information regarding an organization, such
as project status, client histories, or the locations and schedules of coworkers. SharePoint utilizes
all the tools necessary for SuiteStyle to grow as an organization and promote global expansion.

Collaboration System Usage

As SuiteStyle expands to the United Kingdom, it will benefit from a collaboration information
system that is secure and includes a variety of tools that promote effective company
communications such as a corporate calendar, surveys, and file sharing. Of the programs
analyzed, Microsoft SharePoint provides the best platform to satisfy all of the companys needs
for secure and successful collaboration. SuiteStyle will be able to customize the SharePoint web
page to fit the needs of the company. Microsoft SharePoint is compatible with global expansion
and will be helpful to SuiteStyle as it grows in the United Kingdom. The customizable tools will
allow SuiteStyle to split web pages by country and by each department. Each web page about a
country and/or department will contain the necessary resources for that unit to work efficiently,
driving SuiteStyle towards success and profits. All final completions of each departments
projects will be uploaded on SuiteStyles original web page. As a result, SuiteStyles employees,
departments, and countries will be able to collaborate as necessary for effective and efficient
business solutions. Taking full advantage of the collaborative tools that Microsoft SharePoint has
to offer, SuiteStyle will be able to grow as a company as expands in the United States and
overseas in the United Kingdom.

Enterprise System Strategy

ERP Analysis and Recommendation
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a business process management software that enables a
business to integrate a system of applications for business management. At the base of an ERP
system is a central database that gathers transactional data from operational systems across the
company. This allows a company to create cohesive views of core business processes. The
ultimate goal of an ERP solution is to combine all organizational systems into one highperformance system that meets all business needs and user requirements. It enables the sharing
!11

of data across various departments, creating an integrated set of IT systems that facilitate the
flow of information between business functions. The size of a business dictates the type of ERP
system to be implemented. In the case of SuiteStyle, a small business ERP is an ideal fit for
future business operations.
Founded in September of 2014, SuiteStyle is a small business that does not currently employ an
ERP solution. However, the development of SuiteStyle in the United States and United Kingdom
within the next five years will inevitably cause the outgrowth of the current systems in use, such
as Microsoft Excel and Quickbooks. As a result, SuiteStyle demands a small business ERP
solution to manage business operations on the global scale. These systems ensure that SuiteStyle
maintains consistency across departments and continues to grow as a company. Therefore,
SuiteStyle is in search of a small business ERP software that can accommodate the needs of the
entire organization. Such functions connect both core ERP components and extended ERP
components. Overall, SuiteStyle is seeking an expansive small business ERP software that is
flexible, effective, and promotes global expansion.
One type of small business ERP is NetSuite, which is a cloud-based ERP system that is offered as
a SaaS. This web-based approach makes ERP accessible and user-friendly for smaller-sized
companies. The solution focuses on financial management by automating critical back-office
processes. However, NetSuite takes business beyond traditional accounting software. The system
has unlimited central database capabilities and, therefore, can complete advanced project
accounting. Additionally, NetSuite streamlines operations across the organization and provides
real-time information to implement efficient and effective decisions. The system offers a
dashboard that integrates business data across departments. The dashboard offers real-time
snapshots of sales orders, commissions, and forecasts. These snapshots are a resourceful
technique for evaluating financial business operations across the enterprise. Furthermore, the
system supports global expansion; it provides multiple currencies and complies with several
global accounting rules. Therefore, NetSuite goes beyond simple bookkeeping tasks and is able
to provide deep analysis of the financial sector of a business.
NetSuites ease of accessibility, cutting-edge financial analysis, and global support provides
several advantages that initially made it an appealing small business ERP solution to implement
during SuiteStyles expansion within the United States and into the United Kingdom. Although
NetSuite provides numerous advantages to the financial department of SuiteStyle, it does not
assist any of the other business departments. This system is not as broad and flexible as other
software that is offered by different industry leaders on the market. NetSuite is an appealing
accounting solution, but SuiteStyle is looking for an ERP system that provides more functions
than just accounting. Even though NetSuite would be a valuable financial ERP software, the
system is too narrow to fit with SuiteStyles future goals. For this reason, NetSuite is not the most
appropriate small business ERP system to be implemented.
Another type of ERP solution is Exact Globe, a highly flexible and customizable ERP solution
for small-sized companies. It was originally created as an accounting program; but, over time,
Exact Globe has transformed into a complete ERP system. Offered in a multi-tenant SaaS mode,
!12

Exact Globe allows for the creation of cohesive business processes that promote efficiency. This
ERP solution integrates an organizations entire financial and administrative infrastructure into
one platform. At the solutions core is an embedded document management system that
implements real-time and workflow-driven business processes such as money management,
order processing, and production planning. This information is stored, linked, and maintained in
a central database so all departments in an organization can work with the same information. The
system sponsors a variety of different currencies, languages, and international legislations,
catalyzing successful international business operations. These functions allow organizations to
interact effortlessly and conduct business with customers and suppliers.
Exact Globe is the best ERP solution for SuiteStyle. The solution is targeted towards companies
such as SuiteStyle - expanding companies in the lower mid-market. Since the software is offered
as SaaS, Exact Globe is easy to use and access. Furthermore, the flexibility of the system will
allow SuiteStyle to customize the system to best fit with the business goals and operations of the
company. This will enhance SuiteStyles understanding of business functions across all
departments. Since 1992, Exact Globe has remained present in the United Kingdom and was a
United Kingdom Cloud Awards Finalist 2015 in the category ERP Product of the Year. Because
of this, the implementation of Exact Globe will foster success on the global scale as SuiteStyle
expands to the United Kingdom. Within the next five years, the best ERP Small Business System
for SuiteStyle is Exact Globe because it is flexible, cohesive across departments, and promotes
global expansion.

ERP Implementation Challenges

Implementing Exact Globe into SuiteStyle is a complicated process that proposes a variety of
challenges to the company. Two primary forces that SuiteStyle may encounter as it implements
Exact Globe are problems with software customization and ERP costs. Since Exact Globe is a
highly flexible system, it allows for the customization of existing software. Although this is a
valuable ERP advantage, SuiteStyle has to determine if ERP customization connects with a
specific business advantage. Large amounts of customization can lead to complex code that
requires constant maintenance which lead to high upkeep expenses. If implemented poorly,
customization could severely harm the company. Further challenges that SuiteStyle may run into
are costs associated with the implementation. These costs may include, but are not limited to
software costs, integration costs, consulting fees, training fees, and more. Exact Globe ERP is
complex to integrate. If the wrong business decisions are made, SuiteStyle will face high
operation costs. However, Exact Globe offers some solutions to deal with these challenges, such
as flexible pay-per-month programs. As long as SuiteStyle maintains a deep understanding of its
business goals and closely monitors the implementation of the Exact Globe, it will be able to
overcome customization issues and ERP costs.
Upon further analysis, the implementation of a small business ERP will be advantageous to
SuiteStyle in the next five years as it expands in the United States and overseas in the United
Kingdom. After initial consideration, NetSuite appeared to be a functional ERP solution for

!13

SuiteStyle. However, after deeper examination, the narrow scope of the system proves to be a
poor fit for SuiteStyle. As a result, Suite Style analyzed Exact Globe. Although there are
challenges that SuiteStyle will have to overcome during the implementation of this system, the
flexibility, along with department-wide integration and promotion of international growth makes
Exact Globe the ideal small business ERP system for SuiteStyle.

CRM Analysis and Recommendation

Another system that SuiteStyle will implement as it expands is a Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) solution. A fundamental factor in profitability and success within a business
is understanding individual customer needs so that the company can deliver the most satisfying
buying experience. Fortunately, a CRM enables companies to operate efficiently and effectively
in this area. By managing a customers relationship with an organization, a CRM system
enhances customer loyalty and retention. For these reasons, SuiteStyle understands the
importance of employing an effective CRM system. Looking to build a strong customer base and
increase profitability, SuiteStyle is in seeking of a CRM that is affordable, user-friendly, and
facilitates deep customer relationships.
Salesforce.com is a popular cloud-based CRM tool that offers sales, marketing, and service
management capabilities. Since the Salesforce CRM is built on the Cloud and deployed on a
SaaS platform, it is easily accessible through a web browser or mobile device. The solution is
flexible and enables deep customization by the business. Salesforce.com helps a company save
time and resources through the monitoring of a wide variety of business operations. The central
system contains capabilities that include sales management, marketing automation, partner
relationship management, and customer service. These capabilities enable companies to manage
customer accounts, track sales leads, conduct and monitor marketing campaigns, and provide
service after a sale. Additionally, the Salesforce CRM incorporates an innovative social media
application called Chatter. Chatter eases and promotes social networking and collaboration
across an organization. At its core, Salesforce.com is a key tool for a company in supporting
business needs and customer relationships. The system enables effective customization,
promoting deep customer relationships and higher profitability in the long run.
Salesforce.com has the potential to provide SuiteStyle with flexibility in analyzing sales,
marketing, relationship management, and customer service to enhance the overall customer
experience. Even though Salesforce CRM has numerous advantages, it is not the most
appropriate CRM to integrate. Mid-market businesses best use Salesforce CRM. Since SuiteStyle
is a small business, the capabilities of Salesforce likely will not match up with the business
characteristics of SuiteStyle. Furthermore, Salesforce.com has a steep learning curve. Many
companies often end up having to employ an administrator to deal with the complexity of this
CRM solution. SuiteStyle is seeking a user-friendly interface; therefore this complicated CRM
solution is unattractive. Further, Salesforce.com could result in unexpected downtime because it
runs on its own cloud and has its own maintenance schedule. It is vital for SuiteStyle to be
accessible at all times in order to gain and maintain competitive advantages in the market.

!14

Finally, Salesforce.com is expensive. Even though the CRM itself is relatively inexpensive, $25
to $250 per user per month, there are related costs to integrating the application within a
company. Since SuiteStyle is looking for an affordable solution, Salesforce CRM is not the best
solution for SuiteStyle. As a result, Salesforce CRM does not fit SuiteStyles requirements of a
CRM solution and is not an appropriate system to integrate as SuiteStyle expands in the
upcoming years.
Another CRM that is on the market is called Nimble. Nimble is an affordable, web-based
application that provides common CRM functions. However, the system extends beyond the
typical CRM in its emphasis on the use of social media services. This function allows users to
analyze and investigate social media activity, communication, and contact management tools to
guarantee that customer relationship opportunities are optimized. Also, startup and
maintainability on Nimble is simple; the system automatically inputs prospective and current
customer information from numerous data sources, letting a company take effective actions in a
relatively short time period compared to competing CRMs. Furthermore, users do not have to log
conversations with customers into the system. Nimble automatically collects and updates team
calendars, email, and communications from all sources. This compilation of customer data helps
generate personal relationships with customers. Nimble is a powerful CRM that promotes
success and effective consumer connections by implementing social media systems and customer
relationship analysis.
The integration of Nimble into SuiteStyle in the next five years is a wise business decision. The
CRM is beneficial to SuiteStyle because it is affordable, has a web-based and user-friendly
interface, and is best employed by small businesses. For SuiteStyles purposes, the most
important feature of Nimble is the integration of social media services. Since SuiteStyle plans on
integrating Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and several other social media applications, Nimble will
enable SuiteStyle to manage incoming streams of data while cultivating deep relationships with
customers. Nimble provides the tools that SuiteStyle needs to facilitate effective customer
interaction, achieve and maintain competitive advantages, and increase overall success. For these
reasons, Nimble is a highly compatible CRM system that will provide SuiteStyle with an
affordable and easy to use solution. For these reasons, the best CRM solution for SuiteStyle to
implement is Nimble.

CRM Solution Implementation Challenges

Although Nimble has the potential to be an innovative CRM system for SuiteStyle, its
implementation must be done with caution. The solution does not have advanced reporting CRM
tools that other systems have. It is vital for SuiteStyle to understand how to effectively use
Nimble. An important measure of success for a CRM solution is the use of metrics. Since
different metrics implement different goals, SuiteStyle must have a clear idea of its business
objectives. If SuiteStyle is unable to do so, Nimble will not be integrated correctly. Overall,
because Nimble is such a unique CRM solution, challenges may arise upon implementation. As
long as SuiteStyle has a clear understanding of its business goals and effectively utilizes the

!15

functions Nimble has to offer, SuiteStyle will be able to overcome these problems and reach
success.
CRM systems are a vital tool within a company to facilitate effective customer relationships and
generate profits. Salesforce CRM is a widely popular and powerful CRM that is employed by
many companies today. However, its uses are not compatible with SuiteStyle and it is not an
appropriate CRM solution to implement. On the other hand, the social-media based CRM,
Nimble, fits flawlessly with the business goals of SuiteStyle. Even though Nimble will present
some challenges upon implementation, the affordable and user-friendly interface, along with the
social media services, provide a complete CRM solution for SuiteStyle that will be efficient and
effective as the company grows both within the United States and to the United Kingdom.

Social Media Analysis and Recommendations

A good social media strategy is what sets successful companies apart in the 21 century. A
majority of consumers spend large amounts of time consuming all forms of media. The average
American views over 5,000 advertisements in a single day. With so many competing companies,
SuiteStyle must implement an effective social media strategy to identify itself as a leader against
its competitors. The creation of SuiteStyle was a result of an overwhelming reaction on social
media; therefore, it is only natural that it continues its online presence and captures a growing
audience.
st

The first step in outlining a social media strategy is to identify and understand the targeted
audience. This can be done in a variety of ways. SuiteStyle should use its existing social media
presence on Instagram and Facebook to promote a customer survey to assess the needs, wants,
and challenges of current consumers. By using familiar platforms such as SurveyMonkey,
SuiteStyle can gain a competitive advantage in its extensive knowledge about its consumers.
This customer knowledge can help the advertising department create content that satisfies the
customers, helps the executive department identify brand and company weaknesses, and
increases customer engagement and thus satisfaction and loyalty. Since SuiteStyle is a fairly new
company, the main goal of its social media strategy is to gain consumer awareness.
SuiteStyle credits all of its success to Pinterest. Functioning as a web and mobile application
where users share and pin photos that hyperlink to parent sites, Pinterest has captured the
internet by storm. After being founded in early 2010, its success was minimal until a sudden
boom in 2011. After starting a variety of Pinterest boards to help design and decorate their
college dorm rooms, the founders of SuiteStyle gained a massive following due to their superior
ability to curate different styles and themes of interior design. The boards went viral and received
hundreds of thousands of repins and followers. Since Pinterest was the start of SuiteStyle, its
continued use is a pivotal part of the companys social media strategy.
The best part about Pinterest is its ability to be personalized. Every user sees a different
compilation of pins and suggested boards on its home page, and every user creates and pins
boards according to their personal taste. This ability for personalization allows SuiteStyle to
!16

design a page that accurately represents its brand. SuiteStyle must continue pinning to its original
boards. These boards provide design inspiration to both the company designers, for research and
development, and to consumers, as a way to form a positive view of the companys aesthetic.
Additionally, SuiteStyle should create new boards that feature pictures of rooms decorated with
the various boxes sold. Each board should contain a variety of different rooms decorated with the
same items but in different themes and layouts. This will allow SuiteStyle customers to see the
versatility of the companys products. Every board and pin should include a detailed description.
These descriptions help the pins come up when consumers use the search field. The more
keywords and adjectives, the more hits the pins will receive on search results. Pinterest recently
implemented Buyable Pins. These allow users to buy products found on Pinterest directly
through the Pinterest mobile app. Utilizing this feature could lead to an increase in sales and
awareness.
The major downfall of Pinterest is the ability for users to lose track of the original pin. Many
pins are copy pasted and counterfeited by users, and the hyperlinks lead to inactive sites.
Although there is no way to completely eradicate this problem, SuiteStyle can minimize this
customer loss by including a watermark or the SuiteStyle logo on each image pinned. Another
downfall of Pinterest is the inability to use hashtags. Pinterest does not categorize images or
boards using this popular method. This omits SuiteStyles pins and boards from coming up in a
search for #roominabox.
Instagram was SuiteStyles second social media platform to be used. After gaining a large
following on Pinterest, it was only natural to expand into a secondary form of social media.
Instagram came naturally after Pinterest as they are both Internet-based photo sharing platforms.
What makes Instagram distinctive is its signature square shape that resembles that of a Polaroid
camera. Instagram allows users to upload or take a picture and then apply a digital filter. The
photo can then be shared on secondary social media sites or Instagrams own platform. After
joining Instagram, SuiteStyle quickly gained a decent following due to its original population on
Pinterest.
Instagram is a necessary element of SuiteStyles social media strategy. Instagram is quickly
surpassing Facebook as the social media site most used by millennials. This popularity warrants
extreme attention and usage of the companys marketing and advertising teams. A huge
advantage of Instagram is the ability to use hashtags. Hashtags engage users by filing tagged
photos into a stream and creating a sense of community among users. Additionally, Instagram
allows users to share photos to secondary social media sites at the time of the original posting.
By utilizing this feature, SuiteStyle can link social media profiles to each other across the web.
This allows consumers of SuiteStyle media to navigate easily across all social media platforms.
Although Instagram boasts a 300 million+ person community that shares over 60 million photos
per day, it does carry some disadvantages. For example, users are unable to place hyperlinks in
image captions. This makes it hard to link users to the SuiteStyle website to purchase products or
to further research the company. The only way for SuiteStyle to combat this disadvantage is to
utilize the opportunity for a hyperlink in the bio of the user profile.
!17

After being founded in 2010, Instagram quickly skyrocketed to the forefront of social media and
was bought by Facebook in 2012 for $1 billion. Facebook is by far the most used social media
platform on the web. For this reason, it is essential that SuiteStyle maintain its presence on
Facebook. As previously mentioned, Instagram can seamlessly post identical images on
SuiteStyles Instagram and Facebook Profiles, providing uniformity across platforms.
An advantage of Facebook for businesses is the ability to be both a user and an advertiser.
SuiteStyle can maintain an active profile, posting videos and images of products, events, and
satisfied customers; the company can also pay Facebook to appear as advertisements in the
margin of users home page. Also, when Facebook users like a page, post, image, or other form
of user activity it is shown on the newsfeeds of that user's friends. This is instant marketing for
SuiteStyle.
Facebooks main disadvantage is its age. Founded in 2004, it is one of the oldest social media
platforms. As its age increases, its relevance to the younger generations decreases. Facebook is
increasingly being used by an older audience; grown men and women use it to reconnect with
their college roommates and share family photos with each other. Younger social media users are
starting to gravitate toward other, more private forms of social networking.
Twitter is the perfect example of this new form of social networking. By limiting its users to only
120 characters, Twitter is becoming a breeding ground for quick snippets of wit and wisdom.
Although tweets can include images and videos, the website was originally created for the
purpose of sharing text. SuiteStyle, as an interior design and furnishings company, relies heavily
on visuals to attract customers. For this reason, it is not recommended that SuiteStyle pursue
Twitter in its social media strategy.
YouTube provides an attractive alternative to traditional media sharing. A forum for the sharing
of videos allows SuiteStyle to offer an interactive visual to its customers. SuiteStyle can
compose videos assembling and furnishing a room using a variety of the companys products.
The company can personalize the business to its consumers by filming and editing videos of the
various business processes such as; research and development, design, marketing, production,
and shipment. Videos such as these will benefit SuiteStyles social media strategy by expressing
an intimate relationship between the customers and the brand.
The downfall of YouTube is the extensive amount of money and preparation that goes into each
video. To present an image that will be well received, SuiteStyle must invest a great deal of time
and money into each video. Other social media platforms previously mentioned do not require as
much behind the scenes preparation and investment. Although the costs may be high, it is
recommended that SuiteStyle pursue a YouTube channel in its social media strategy as a way of
personalizing the brand and products.
Snapchat is one of the newest forms of social media, only very recently being capitalized by
businesses and celebrities. Snapchat provides a photo, video, and text sharing platform that
allows users to send media to added friends for a specific number of seconds. In addition, users
!18

can post mystories that are public to their friends for 24 hours before being automatically
deleted. The most attractive part about Snapchat to users is its real-time information. Since the
media is deleted after a set period of time, users are incentivized to check the app frequently for
updates in order to consume the media before it expires.
The best part about Snapchat is its recent introduction into the social media market. Since this
application is so new in its market, users from all around the world are eager to download it and
participate in its activity. Also, as previously mentioned, the expiration date on each piece of
media posted through Snapchat forces users to constantly update their feed and scroll through
posts made by friends. No one wants to miss a beat when it comes to social media. This is
perfectly exploited by Snapchat in its ability to delete snapchats after 10 seconds and mystories
after 24 hours.
Although Snapchat incentivizes users to refresh their feed constantly and consume, it is a fairly
limited platform for an online retailer. Videos and images can only be posted in real time, and
cannot be imported they must be taken directly through the Snapchat app itself. For this reason,
it is not recommended for SuiteStyle to pursue Snapchat in its social media strategy.
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs posted on the web and their interconnections. It is a vital
form of social media and has been growing in popularity. The blogosphere goes hand-in-hand
with Pinterest and Facebook. Pinterest, in a way, is a visual blog of compiled photos with short
descriptions, while Facebook is like a personal blog updated with location check-ins, statuses,
pictures and more. What sets a blog apart is a personal URL address and the ability to design the
visual interface of the website.
Blogs are usually characterized by opinionated, diary-like posts made by an individual or group
of individuals. Blogs are the perfect forum upon which to create a personalized space to express
a personality. Similar to Twitter, Blogs can be supplemented with visual media such as pictures
and videos, but are primarily based on text. For this reason, it is not recommended that
SuiteStyle pursue the Blogosphere in its social media strategy.

Mobile Strategy
Mobile Application Strategy Ideas
In todays expansive business world, the use of mobile devices have completely revolutionized
business processes. As SuiteStyle is heavily a social and internet-based company, it is only
natural that the company creates its own mobile app strategy to mark its presence in the industry.
Mobile app usage automates and streamlines business processes, creating simple, meaningful,
and productive ways for customers to interact with a business online. Therefore, the
implementation of a mobile app within SuiteStyles business processes will promote best

!19

practices and drive profits, improving the overall quality of SuiteStyle as it expands to the United
Kingdom.
Since SuiteStyle is seeking to integrate a mobile app that best aligns with the companys goals,
SuiteStyle analyzed several different types of strategies. One of these strategies, called an
augmented reality (AR) app, is centered on benefiting the consumer. This app is advantageous to
SuiteStyle because it promotes customer satisfaction and will increase sales. An AR app allows
customers to visualize products at home in a virtual catalogue and purchase products directly
through the app, creating worry-free purchases. This type of app is beneficial to SuiteStyle
because the company operates as a pure-play business. Customers cannot physically view the
products before purchase. An AR app solves this dilemma by allowing users to virtually view
products at home. Customers can then simply take a picture of an area, swipe through the virtual
catalogue, and select products to appear virtually. The customer can then view product(s) of
interest in all different colors, angles, and sizes. With the use of an AR app, customers can view
and customize products at home before making a purchase. Therefore, an AR mobile app
promotes product visualization and easy purchases, enhancing customer satisfaction and
profitability for SuiteStyle.
The use of an augmented reality app is advantageous to SuiteStyle because it will maximize
customer satisfaction and online purchases. The apps ability to design a room without physically
moving objects creates a stress-free buying experience. Furthermore, the app is entertaining to
play around with. This serves as a great marketing tool for SuiteStyle because customers are
likely to tell others about the app. However, even though these benefits to an AR app would
enhance the quality of SuiteStyle as a company, there are several disadvantages to integrating
this type of application. For instance, AR apps are a relatively new form of technology. For this
reason, the technology within the app is constantly changing, creating expensive upkeep and
maintainability costs. Also, AR apps have privacy and security issues. Customers would be
taking pictures of rooms, which would be shared all over the internet. Top security and privacy is
of utmost importance while going global. SuiteStyle should implement a more protective cloud
system that limits third party data sharing. Therefore, due to privacy, security, and budget
concerns, an AR app should not be integrated into SuiteStyles mobile strategy. However,
because augmented reality is an advantageous feature, SuiteStyle will customize the mobile app
that it implements by adding an augmented reality feature in the future.
Another idea for app usage is an analytics app, which is primarily directed toward back-office
processes. Since SuiteStyle is a pure-play business, the implementation of an analytics app that
measures the effectiveness of the business processes will generate success. The app would track
website traffic, sales activity, and performance. Moreover, some features of the app would
include ecommerce reporting, AdWords, and dashboard visualization. Ecommerce reporting
tracks ecommerce metrics for SuiteStyle, such as revenue and transactions. AdWords will enable
SuiteStyle to compete to display advertisements on Google. This will allow SuiteStyle to widen
market reach and measure the impact of marketing strategies. Also, the dashboard enables all
analytics and metric reports to be easily monitored in one place. The dashboard visually

!20

illustrates all data, metrics, and key performance indicators measured from the analytics app.
With a visual representation of all data, SuiteStyle managers can analyze business intelligence
and make effective and timely business decisions. However, although an analytics app would be
beneficial to optimize business intelligence and improve management, this app has several
drawbacks for SuiteStyle. For one, the consumer does not directly benefit. Even though an
analytics app provides useful information for back-office facing processes, SuiteStyle requires a
mobile strategy that focuses on enhancing customer satisfaction while also analyzing back-office
processes.
After the analysis of an AR app and analytics app, SuiteStyle determined that the optimal mobile
usage app for the company is a hybrid between these two applications. This optimal app for
SuiteStyle assists both front-office and back-office processes, scattering benefits to both business
operations and the customer. The app allows customers to shop and browse products. Meanwhile
SuiteStyle can manage inventory, measure analytics, and enhance business intelligence. As a
result, the best usage app combines all of the advantages from the augmented reality and
analytics app, while also achieving the system at a low cost.
The optimal usage app is the best mobile application to integrate into SuiteStyles mobile
strategy. The Suite Style app generates simple and fast purchases. In order to complete a
purchase, all customers have to do is navigate to the app on a smartphone or tablet, find a
product, click add to cart, and complete the purchasing information in the virtual shopping
cart. The app also utilizes loyalty rewards and push notifications to increase the likelihood of
repeat customers. Furthermore, SuiteStyles mobile app will also benefit back-office business
processes. The best usage app for SuiteStyle allows managers to track inventory, manage
products, and store customer data all in one place. Even though the app is utilized by both
SuiteStyle and its customers, the back-office processes are hidden from customers and only
accessible to authorized managers. As a result, due to its ability to benefit both the customer and
business, the optimal usage app proves to be the best mobile app strategy for SuiteStyle to
implement.

Benefits
The optimal mobile application strategy that SuiteStyle will integrate into its mobile application
strategy, called the SuiteStyle App, provides numerous benefits for both back-office and frontoffice processes. The applications business-facing process benefits are hidden to the consumer
and is accessible only to authorized managers. Similar to the analytics app, the application
enhance business processes by allowing managers to analyze inventory, purchases, and customer
data. Moreover, managers can add or remove products, create collections, edit product details,
monitor stock and inventory, and edit payment methods. With access to this data, SuiteStyle can
improve customer relationships. Furthermore, the app also provides a step-by-step guide to
improve SuiteStyles Search Engine Optimization. The manager can type in keywords to a search
engine and the wizard will generate a report to improve the ranking of SuiteStyle on search
results pages of search engines. This will evaluate the success of different marketing strategies.

!21

Also, managers can set shipping and tax rules. This feature is advantageous for Suite Style since
it is expanding globally to the United Kingdom. With this app, SuiteStyle has the choice to sell to
all countries or select only specific regions. The tax and shipping rules are automated after this
decision is made. As a result, the SuiteStyle app is beneficial to SuiteStyles back-office
processes and will drive greater efficiency, profits, and customer satisfaction.
SuiteStyle recognizes that supplying superior customer service is a crucial indicator of customer
loyalty and business success. Therefore, the SuiteStyle app also provides benefits to the
consumer. The app has quick access to contact information, an About Me page, and a Contact
Us page with a contact forum. These features ensure that the customer has easy access to
information, and if needed, can contact SuiteStyle for further questions. Furthermore, like the
augmented reality app, the SuiteStyle app also encourages customer engagement. Through the
use of unique discounts, offers, promotions, and push notifications, the app provides customers
with incentives to keep purchasing products from SuiteStyle. Also, the Suite-Style app is
designed to improve conversion rates and turn visitors into customers. SuiteStyle knows that the
more user-friendly the interface is, the more likely the customer is to purchase a product. For
these reasons, the SuiteStyle app is user-friendly and accessible. These special features will
attract customers to the site and create a positive buying experience.
Operating as a pure-play business can be a difficult task for a company. For instance, customers
are often driven away from purchasing an item online because not all features of the product are
photographed, or the images are poor in quality. Fortunately, SuiteStyle is able to overcome these
issues with the SuiteStyle App. The app provides high quality images of the product that can be
displayed in different angles, views, and sizes. Since customers will know exactly what the
product looks like before purchase, high quality images will increase customer satisfaction.
Moreover, an important aspect for pure-play businesses is social media. A business that operates
solely from an online store must have a social media presence to create a strong customer base.
The SuiteStyle App fulfills this demand by providing a direct link to all forms of social media.
Through various social media pages, customers will have access to product and consumer
reviews, and be able to share SuiteStyle products. Therefore, the SuiteStyle app is beneficial to
pure-play businesses, such as SuiteStyle.
The SuiteStyle mobile app is also designed to support its target market. SuiteStyle seeks to set
itself apart from its competitors by marketing to a social media savvy generation. To target this
market, the app must first be accessible to these individuals. Therefore, SuiteStyle will use
HTML5 instead of a native application. A native application is a system that is written in the
operating systems native language. For example, if an application is native to the iPhone it will
be written in the Java programming language. Therefore, it will only work on the iPhone and will
not be available to Droid users. Therefore, for an application to be available to all individuals, the
app would have to be written in several different native languages. This could be expensive,
therefore SuiteStyle will create a universal application using HTML 5. HTML5 is part of the
code used to program nearly everything in a web browser. Mobile applications written in

!22

HTML5 can be read on nearly any mobile device and would only have to be written once. The
mobile compatibility of the SuiteStyle application is a major advantage for its implementation.
The SuiteStyle app will enhance the quality of business for SuiteStyle and provide numerous
advantages. The SuiteStyle app is beneficial for all aspects of SuiteStyle; it benefits both the
consumer and the business. Additionally, the app provides several tools to enhance SuiteStyles
operation as a pure-play business and increase customer loyalty. Finally, the SuiteStyle app will
target SuiteStyles target market, both males and females. These advantages ensure the more
efficient operation of business processes within SuiteStyle, increasing customer satisfaction and
profitability.

!23

SuiteStyle App Usage

The SuiteStyle App is a functional resource for customers to complete transactions with
SuiteStyle. Upon opening the SuiteStyle app, the customer will immediately be directed to the
home page. This page provides a gallery of all of SuiteStyles products for quick access and
browsing. The gallery on the homepage also employs a scrolling technique, similar to the design
employed on Instagrams homepage that creates a simple and visual purchasing experience.
When a product on the home gallery is clicked, the app is promptly redirected to the product
details page where the customer can purchase that item.
The main tool that facilitates
rapid and straightforward
navigation through the
SuiteStyle app is the menu
button, which is located at the
top left hand-corner of every
page. It provides a drop down
menu of links to every page on
the site. It enables the user to
navigate through several
different pages by the tap of a
finger or click of a button. The
first page listed is the About page which provides an overview of
SuiteStyle, its mission, and company objectives. At the bottom of the page is a Lets Begin
button that directs the user
straight to the Boxes page.
The Boxes page provides
links to two different subsubpages, Simple and
Deluxe. SuiteStyle created
these two different sized boxes
to satisfy a variety of decoration
demands. SuiteStyles Simple
Boxes contain the basics to
decorate a bedroom, such as
bedding, pillows, and throw
blankets. The Deluxe Boxes are
stocked with the essentials as well as supplementary accent items to enhance the dcor of a
room. The Simple button directs the customer to the all of the simple boxes available for
purchase, while the Deluxe button will show all the deluxe boxes the customer can purchase.
Both sub-pages are designed the exact same way in terms of functionality, creating a cohesive
and easy-to-use app.

!24

The next page located on the

menu is the Build-A-Box
page. The Build-A-Box
feature facilitates enhanced
customer satisfaction through
the customization of boxes.
Customers can personalize a
box by selecting any set of
products. Located on the
Build a Box homepage is a
Get Started button that will
direct the user to all of the
available products. When a
customer selects a product, the product will immediately be added to the individuals box.
As soon as the customer is
finished adding items to purchase,
the shopping cart can be viewed to
finalize the order. The shopping
cart can be examined by clicking
on the shopping bag icon in the
upper right-hand corner of the
screen of any page. The number
on the icon represents the number
of items the customer has added to
their cart. Once within the
shopping cart, users are directed to
a Check-Out page. The checkout
page lists all products in the shoppers cart along with item details. The list is followed by the
subtotal, total after tax, shipping cost, and a checkout button. Once the checkout button is
clicked, the customer is prompted to add their shipping and billing information. A customer can
remove items at any time by clicking the remove
button.
After checkout is completed, the user is directed to a
confirmation page. This page personally thanks the
customer for shopping at SuiteStyle and provides a
summary report of the customers purchase. The
summary report consists of order number, total cost,
and shipping destination. The customer will also
receive a confirmation email providing the summary
report and order tracking information.

!25

!26

SuiteStyle believes in creating

deep customer relationships in
order to ensure the customer has
the best possible buying
experience. If at any time a
customer has any comments,
questions, or concerns, the
Contact page provides methods
for a customer to have these
questions answered. This page
can be accessed through the
menu icon. It provides contact
information, a direct contact
forum, SuiteStyle social
media links, and accepted forms of payments. These features enable swift and effective answers,
which optimizes customer satisfaction.
The SuiteStyle mobile app facilitates customer transactions through the easy-to-use interface.
Navigation through the app begins on the homepage, where customers can select items to view
from the photo scroll. If the customer is wishing to navigate to a specific part of the application,
the menu bar enables the simple navigation throughout the app. The menu bar consists of quick
links to About, Build-a-Box, Boxes, and Contact pages. Overall, this facilitates the
efficient use of this app, enabling fast and easy consumer purchases.

Cloud Usage
As ecommerce is growing parallel with the internet, cloud-based ecommerce leads to several
opportunities for SuiteStyle. Through the use of cloud-computing, pure-play business can lower
costs, respond quickly to market opportunities, and enhance productivity. Moreover, one of the
primary advantages of cloud computing is its scalability. For expanding companies, cloud
computing can handle increasing amounts of data better than standard servers or software. This
is beneficial for SuiteStyle as it grows globally in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, cloud
computing much cheaper than replacing depreciated equipment and constantly updating
software. With SuiteStyle expanding its operations within the United States and to the United
Kingdom, cloud computing is a vital for success.
There are several different cloud services available, therefore, the business goals of SuiteStyle
must be clearly defined so a cloud service that fits with these objectives can be picked. During
the next few years, SuiteStyle will be expanding to the United Kingdom. As a result, the
company needs a cloud system that provides flexibility and scalability at an affordable price.
SuiteStyle has decided to move from a public cloud to a hybrid cloud. A public cloud service is
run by an external cloud service provider. Before SuiteStyle made the decision to go global, a
public cloud fit well with business operations because it allowed for elasticity and up-to-date
!27

technology at a low cost. However, after expanding to Europe, SuiteStyle will also implement
private clouds. Therefore, SuiteStyle will be utilizing a hybrid cloud system. SuiteStyle will keep
customer and business related data in a private cloud operated by SuiteStyles IT managers, and
keep less sensitive data in a public cloud. The addition of private clouds will create a higher level
of security. Public clouds will still be used to interact with customers, but customer data and
information will be securely stored in private clouds. The cloud computing service is already
running on a central server. Although certain changes may need to be made to the system due to
the expansion, the basis of the system is already established. Therefore, the changes to be made
will be much cheaper than creating an entire new system that SuiteStyle will have to host itself.
Since SaaS systems such as hybrid clouds only require the company to pay for what it needs, it is
fairly easy to increase the size of the system. SuiteStyle will have not have to invest in additional
hardware or software and will only need internet connection for access. A SaaS cloud system is
also compatible to both the ERP and CRM systems for SuiteStyle. Both Exact Globe and Nimble
can either be implemented locally or over the internet.

Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence (BI) is a powerful instrument for the evaluation of management and
implementing effective decisions within a company. Information is collected from various
sources in order to analyze patterns, trends, and relationships for strategic decision making.
When analyzed effectively, internal and external data generates an accurate representation of the
business, producing intelligence that cannot be derived from a single data set. The objective of
business intelligence is to facilitate the effortless understanding of massive volumes of data and
information, which helps to develop innovative business opportunities. Recognizing
opportunities and implementing an effective strategy can create a competitive market advantage
and long-term success. As a result, it is important for SuiteStyle to utilize a business intelligence
system for information analysis.
Business intelligence system technologies are implemented by businesses to answer troublesome
business questions and are able to provide past, present and future outlooks of business
operations. There are several functions of business intelligence technologies, such as reporting,
online analytical processing, analytics, data mining, benchmarking, and predictive analytics.
Furthermore, todays expanding market offers numerous business intelligence systems for the
use of the individual, small to mid-sized company, or large corporation. Each of these programs
have different strengths and weaknesses. For these reasons, SuiteStyle must evaluate its business
goals in order to implement the best-fitting business intelligence system. Since business
intelligence is such a valuable tool, it is in SuiteStyles best interest to analyze different business
intelligence systems to determine the best system to employ for the companys goals.
One business intelligence system is Power BI. Created by Microsoft, Power BI is a software that
allows a company to visualize data, share findings, and collaborate in innovative new ways. The
software is compatible with desktops, PCs, and smartphones. Furthermore, three elements that
are key features of Power BI are datasets, dashboards, and reports. A dataset is something that is

!28

imported or connected to, such as an Excel spreadsheet. Dashboards display tiles that present
important visualizations. These tiles are based on reports, which are one or more pages of
visualizations. Power BI tools include PowerPivot, PowerMap, PowerView, and PowerQuery.
Essentially, Power BI is a forward-thinking system that provides a variety of business
intelligence tools to enhance the compilation of data, generation of meaningful visualizations,
and collaboration between employees.
There are several benefits to integrating Power BI into SuiteStyle. The system enables data of all
sources to be compiled into one source, enabling cohesive decision-making. Through features
such as Power BI Q&A, dashboards, and reports, SuiteStyle can create effective visualizations to
answer important business questions. Moreover, one feature called predictive forecasting
predicts data sets in interactive charts and reports. These capabilities of Power BI illustrate data
stories, providing SuiteStyle with an expansive view of data to answer BI questions.
Additionally, since Power BI is hosted on the cloud, information is easily accessible and lends
itself collaboration among colleagues. Therefore, Power BI is a beneficial tool for SuiteStyle to
analyze data through visualizations and company teamwork.
On the other hand, there are disadvantages to implementing Power BI that would be harmful to
SuiteStyle. Power BI has a learning curve for some features, such as DAX formulas and
dimensional modeling. This will require both time and money to train employees the proper use
of the system. As SuiteStyle expands to a global marketplace, spending the resources on
mastering the features of PowerBI is not the most effective use of time. Moreover, Power BI can
be slow to load data. In the fast-paced business world, data and information needs to be up to
date. If information takes extended periods of time to access, SuiteStyle will fall behind its
competition, lose competitive advantages, and fail in the market. Furthermore, Power BI has
limited visualization for the forecasting and statistical analysis features. These tools look into the
future of SuiteStyle as a business, which is crucial to the success of the company as it expands to
the United Kingdom. As a result, the disadvantages of Power BI are too costly for SuiteStyle to
implement and further analysis of other BI systems is required.
Salesforce.com is popularly known for its cloud-based CRM solution. However, it recently
launched a business intelligence system called Salesforce Wave Analytics. It is a complete
analytics app that is designed specifically for sales in business. The system is tailored for mobile
phones and tablets. The app can tap data from Salesforce applications, the Cloudera or
Hortonworks Hadoop-based systems, several Windows applications, and other third-party data.
Once data is imported, visualizations can summarize the information and update it weekly, daily,
or hourly. The app tells users what trends should be given the most attention in order to ensure
profits and revenue growth. Therefore, Salesforce CRM is a competitive business intelligence
system that provides advanced analytical tools. These features analyze and present information
visually to enforce the best practices within a company.
The features of Salesforce Wave Analytics prove it to be an advantageous business intelligence
system for SuiteStyle. The system is accessible and mobile, which is an important aspect for
SuiteStyle within todays fast-paced business world. Also, since Salesforce Wave Analytics can
!29

be analyzed at remote locations away from the office, SuiteStyle can answer business
intelligence questions anywhere at any time. Also, SuiteStyle has the ability to stay up-to-date by
updating systems as often as needed. The combination of mobility and real-time systems enhance
the quality of business that SuiteStyle conducts and allows it to capitalize on benchmarks and
competitive advantages. Further, since the underlying database in Salesforce Wave Analytics is
flexible, there are no predefined schemas or requirements to adapt data to a fixed model.
Therefore, SuiteStyle can quickly import data from virtually any source into the application.
Additionally, Salesforce.com is seeking to combine its BI system with its CRM solution. Since
SuiteStyle is planning on integrating a CRM solution, Salesforce Wave Analytics would be a
wise BI system to implement due to its powerful business functions in both BI analysis and CRM
systems.
However, Salesforce Analytics does face implementation challenges. The software is expensive.
The total expense adds up to $375 per user; Salesforce Wave "Explorer" business-user
subscriptions are $125 per user, per month, while "Builder" admin/power-user subscriptions are
$250 per user, per month. Since SuiteStyle is a new and growing company, this is not a
reasonable price given that there are other competitive substitutes for business intelligence
systems. Additionally, Salesforce Wave Analytics is a relatively new technology. The system still
has some kinks to work out. If SuiteStyle were to invest valuable time and money working with a
faulty system, it would sacrifice potential market growth and business expansion. Also,
Salesforce Wave Analytics is designed primarily for the sales side of business. Although this
aspect is important, SuiteStyle is a growing company that is looking for an expansive BI system
that that is able to analyze all business departments. As a result, even though Salesforce Wave
Analytics may be a great product in the future, it is not reasonable for SuiteStyle to invest the
time in using this system.
The third type of business intelligence system that SuiteStyle analyzed is IBM Watson Analytics
(Watson). Watson offers the benefits of advanced analytics without the complexity. Like Power
BI and Salesforce Wave Analytics, this system is available on the cloud, and therefore generates
effortless collaboration between colleagues. However, this business intelligence system does
more than any of its competitors. Watson guides data exploration, automates predictive analytics,
and supports the generation of dashboards and infographics. When the system is exposed to data,
it will prompt users with a recommendation of starting points for analysis. Users can then utilize
features such as answering business questions in simple language and interactive visualizations
to examine details or add more data for a different perspective. Further, the system permits users
to define a target when data is added, revealing the key drivers of the data. Therefore, by
generating a complete picture of business processes, simple and meaningful analysis is generated
and ultimately implements effective business decisions. Watson proves its worth in its superior
ability to explore data, challenge business systems, answer questions in plain text, predict
outcomes, and present a multitude of analytical views of a single set of data. Through these
functions, users are able to create a complete representation of data and implement optimal
business decisions.

!30

IBM Watson Analytics is a favorable BI system for SuiteStyle. Through the user-friendly
features that answer business questions posed by the user and define targets for sets of data,
SuiteStyle will inevitably save time and promote optimal decision-making. The dashboard
capabilities create visualizations that will create a solid foundation of the actions SuiteStyle must
take to implement the most effective business decisions. Furthermore, since SuiteStyle is a
small-sized business, Watson is even more attractive due to its price. This software is
inexpensive at $80 a month per user for corporate use. Also, Watson is an expansive BI system
and is designed to analyze many business departments. For example, in the marketing sector, the
system allows for the analysis of ad networks, focus groups, customer feedback, campaign
results, and test markets, creating infinite prospects for smarter marketing. The system is able to
complete similar analysis for all aspects of a business, creating endless opportunities for business
intelligence and growth for SuiteStyle. In sum, Watson promotes several advantageous features
for SuiteStyle as it expands in the global market. Its user-friendly and inexpensive interface
enables the easy analysis of information for all business departments.
The disadvantages to IBM Watson Analytics are not inherently harmful to SuiteStyle. A powerful
feature of the system focuses on telling the user the answer to business decisions. However, one
downside to this is that it does not explain how the answer was reached. SuiteStyle will have to
rely on understanding the system in order to trace the root of these answers. However, Watson
offers several different technologies to determine the why behind the answers, such as defining
a target or visualizing the math behind the decision. Therefore, as long as SuiteStyle understands
how to use the interface, this disadvantage is essentially erased. As a result, the benefits of IBM
Watson Analytics outweigh the costs of implementing the system. IBM Watson Analytics is the
best BI system to implement and will be advantageous in the analysis of business decisions as
SuiteStyle expands into the United Kingdom.
As a whole, the analysis of Power BI, Salesforce Wave Analytics, and IBM Watson Analytics
prove that not every business intelligence system is created equal. After analyzing the advantages
and disadvantages of each of these three systems, it is clear which is best fit for SuiteStyle. IBM
Watson Analytics user-friendly system, powerful business intelligence analysis techniques, and
inexpensive cost best align with the objectives of SuiteStyle in its international expansion. Being
able to analyze across business departments with an efficient and usable interface will ensure the
most effective and profitable implementation of business decisions.

Information Security Recommendations

As an online retailer, SuiteStyle information systems host a variety of extremely sensitive and
important data from credit card numbers to phone numbers and email addresses. It is the duty of
SuiteStyle to ensure the protection and security of this data on behalf of its customers. In order to
carry out these duties, SuiteStyle must establish an information privacy policy to lay out general
principles regarding information privacy.
A companys information security is pivotal to its success. This protection of information from
accidental or intentional misuse by persons inside or outside an organization is what sets reliable
!31

companies apart from others. One of the biggest threats to the security of SuiteStyles
information is the protection of intellectual assets. Information such as marketing research can be
extremely valuable to the company in providing a competitive advantage. In order to keep this
information secure and private, SuiteStyle must implement an array of security measures to
protect against hackers and viruses.
Hackers, experts in technology who use their knowledge to break into computers and computer
networks, typically extract and exploit companies intellectual property for profit, or simply for
the challenge. Viruses are pieces of software written with malicious intent to cause annoyance or
damage to a company's information systems. Hackers typically create viruses and attach them to
a program, document, or website. Users, thinking a file is safe, download and open it; the
attached virus then infects other files and programs on the computer. These infected files are then
spread in email attachments, and other shared files to coworkers and peers. Threats such as these
pose a serious security concern for SuiteStyle.
The two main areas of information security that concern SuiteStyle are people and data. Both of
these areas pose significant risks to the financial performance and reputation of a company. By
identifying and preparing for each of these threats, SuiteStyle can put itself in the best position to
avoid information security breaches causing unexpected downtime. When SuiteStyles systems
are unavailable, the company comes to a halt and incurs a variety of aforementioned costs.
People pose a threat to information security usually in the form of identity theft. Techniques such
as phishing, vishing, pharming, and zombies can attack people and information systems in search
of personal information for the purpose of identity theft. In order to combat these threats,
SuiteStyle must implement a series of authentication and authorization barriers that restrict
access to valuable information. Authentication is a method for confirming users identities, such
as a password or a key. On the other hand, authorization is the process of providing a user with
permission, including access levels and abilities such as viewing, editing, and deleting. Since
SuiteStyle deals with valuable information such as credit card information, it is recommended
that the company implements higher levels of authentication and authorization. Requiring
something the user has, such as a smart card or token, in addition to something the user knows,
such as an ID and password, will help secure valuable information and protect against security
breaches. At data warehouses, some employees may even be required to use a higher level of
authentication and authorization such as something that is part of them like a fingerprint or voice
measure. This use of multi-factor authorization is what will make SuiteStyle a reliable company
to trust with valuable information.
The second main area of information security is data. Data is provided by customers to the
company with the confidence that it will be kept confidential, only accessible by those with the
required authentication and authorization to do so. When hackers attempt to install viruses and
time bombs to mine this data, SuiteStyle must be prepared to deal with such a threat. Prevention
and resistance technologies stop intruders from accessing and reading data by means of content
filtering, encryption, and firewalls. SuiteStyle can content filter by using software to filter
content, such as emails, to prevent the accidental or malicious transmission of unauthorized
!32

information. This simple implementation of a piece of software can save the company millions of
dollars in the event of an information security breach. Additionally, by encrypting important
information, the sensitive data becomes less valuable to hackers if they are unable to read the
information. Investing in advanced encryption techniques can further prevent the event of a data
attack. Another line of defense against data attacks are firewalls. Firewalls are hardware and/or
software that guard a private network by analyzing incoming and outgoing information for the
correct markings. The advantage to firewalls is it that it protects against both internal and
external data threats. By analyzing information coming in and going out of the private network,
the firewall can ensure the correct usage of sensitive data.

Database Needs and Modeling

Company Needs
As SuiteStyle prepares to expand its operations, having an entirely competent database is
fundamental to its success. In a single transaction, the amount of data produced between the
initial purchases of a product to the final delivery of that product is considerable. The substantial
amount of orders that SuiteStyle receives each day create mass volumes of data; thus, as the
company expands globally, immense quantities of data. Without a database to systematize such
data, the company could suffer shortcomings throughout all operational processes of the
company.
SuiteStyle will benefit most from a database system that advocates the principal activity of the
company, online transactions. In short, when a customer makes a purchase online with
SuiteStyle, the order is confirmed, the customer is charged, inventory locates the product, and the
shipping company delivers it to the customer. SuiteStyle will profit most from a database that
includes related tables for each of these operations. Such tables will include, a table with
customer information, a table with payment details, a table that specifies what was ordered, a
table with order shipping information, and a table with the various methods of shipping. By
having these related tables, all the data produced in company transactions will be in a singular
location, thus, adding a system to a primary process of the company and generating maximum
productivity.
SuiteStyle needs to invest in the proficient database that includes real-time information, without
data inconsistency or integrity issues. With a database such as that, the company can make
queries and/or reports that exercise the data by setting up scenarios, summarizing it or formatting
it in a specific way to answer decision-based questions. It will give solutions to problems like
revenue loss, or out of stock products. It will help SuiteStyle make decisions on what products to
expire or keep based on the revenue per product. Based on shipping locations, a database query
could even tell which areas to advertise due to lack of orders in certain locations in comparison
to others. Overall, by having such database resources, the company will improve its overall
business intelligence. Moreover, SuiteStyle will have more insight on changes and adjustments
that it will have to make as it expands to the United Kingdom.

!33

Tangible and Intangible benefits

The tangible and intangible benefits of investing in a proficient database system are abundant.
Such tangible benefits include reduced stock obsolescence, increased profit, improved product
quality, and inventory organization. By having queries that will inform the company on the
revenue of a particular product at a given time, inventory knows can see what products are not in
high demand. With this, decisions can be made to retire flatly demanded products that arent
bringing in revenue. SuiteStyle will increase its profits by using reports and queries as means to
tracking transactions, order dates, revenue, and products sold, the company can see which
products are the most popular, and in what locations. This will give SuiteStyle a better
understanding of what products to market and the best locations to market them. Furthermore,
raising the companys effectiveness in how products are sold, increasing profits. Due to
SuiteStyle improved process management, the needs of the customers are more closely met. With
increased profit and customer satisfaction with available products, the company can create more
available resources for research and expansion that will keep the company up to date with
shifting demands. Lastly of tangible benefits, the number of out of stock products will decrease
significantly. Rather than not being able to locate a product to realize it is out of stock, the
database query will update to tell when to order more inventory.
While the database system has many tangible benefits, it also has intangible benefits. These
advantages include improved executive and employee productivity, organizational transparency,
increased and integrated customer information, and consistent uniformity with a global system.
The database queries and reports will help executives and employees make business decisions
significantly faster by giving exact number scenario statistics rather than assumptions. The
database gives SuiteStyle a new level of organizational by keeping track of endless numbers,
transactions, and customer information in a clear, concise manner. This in turn, reduces
employee misunderstanding and errors. The database gives SuiteStyle a better knowledge of
what customers prefer or dont prefer regarding products. With this, the company can aim to
improve the overall satisfaction of each customer. As SuiteStyle plans to expand to the United
Kingdom, creating uniformity within the company worldwide will be a vital aspect that
SuiteStyle will need to achieve to reach its maximum potential. A database system can provide
SuiteStyle with uniformity because it is such a massively organized system that operates using
the most effective and efficient techniques. The database system would provide SuiteStyle with
the most accurate information using the most advanced technology system. Thus, providing
SuiteStyle with the best resources to succeed as a worldwide company.

Implementation challenges
There are bound to be implementation challenges whenever a business employs a new tool in its
processes. The best way to combat these challenges is to identify them, and devise a plan to best
react to them in an efficient and effective manner. When implementing this new database,
SuiteStyle will face two major challenges: employee training and data restoration. A database as
extensive as the one proposed will require employees to be trained for optimal operation.

!34

Employees ranging from top level executives to customer-support center workers must be
comfortable working with the new system. This level of comfort cannot be obtained without high
levels of training. Although this training will be costly, its benefit will eventually outweigh its
costs because of the numerous advantages that are associated with a new database. Old data must
be cleaned and sorted before being entered into the new database in order to ensure integrity and
reliability. This is a long and laborious process but is ultimately extremely beneficial once the
new database is fully implemented.

Entity-Relationships Diagram

!
An entity-relationship (ER) diagram graphically connects entities together through relationships.
This representation is used in databases to input data and connect information together. As a part
of its expansion, SuiteStyle has implemented Access as a pilot database program. Through the
use of Access, SuiteStyle created an ER diagram that illustrates the transaction process of a
consumer. By graphically representing these relationships, SuiteStyle is able to effectively
display and analyze important business information about products, orders, customers, and sales.
The customer transaction ER diagram consists of six tables named Customer Information, Order
Information, Payment Details, Shipping Methods, Package Details, and Product Information.
The Customer Information table contains details about SuiteStyles customers. Within this table
is the primary key of Customer ID, which creates a unique identification number for each
customer. Other customer contact information is also stored in this table such as name, billing
address, phone number, and email. Additionally, the Customer Information table is connected to
a second table, Order Information, by a one-to-many relationship. This means that one customer
can place several different orders. The Order Information table contains data about the order the
customer placed. The primary key is Order ID, which distinctly identifies each order. Other fields
!35

within this table include order date, order process date, shipping date, shipping address, shipping
method ID and package details ID. All of these fields generate information for SuiteStyle about
the customers order.
Furthermore, the Order Information table attaches to relationships between three separate tables
Payment Details, Shipping Methods, and Package Details. The one-to-many relationship that
connects Order Information and Payment Details emphasizes that one order can have many
different payments. The Payment Details table gathers data about payment information for an
order such as the credit card type, credit card number, credit card expiration date, credit card
security code, and payment amount. Moreover, the Order Information table also connects to the
Shipping Methods table by a one-to-many relationship. The Shipping Methods table contains the
primary key of Shipping Methods ID and lists the different types of shipping methods that are
available for the order. Further, the relationship between Order Information and Shipping
Methods indicates that one shipping method can correspond to several different orders. For
instance, the selection of UPS Ground or UPS Next Day Air shipping is not limited to one order.
Thirdly, the Order Information table is connected to the Package Details table by a many-to-one
relationship, indicating that one package can contain several different orders. The Package
Details table contains information for the specific set of products that a customer has placed in
the order. This table compiles information about the quantity of the product in the package, any
gift cards or discount codes that were redeemed, and the total amount due for the package.
Furthermore, the Package Details table is connected to the Product Information table through a
many-to-one relationship. This relationship displays that one product can be in several different
customer packages. The Product Information table contains details about SuiteStyles products
and uniquely classifies the product through the Product ID field. The product is further
characterized through fields based on product name, color, size, unit price, sale on the product,
final price of the product, and availability.
Therefore, the ER diagram designed in Access for SuiteStyle effectively illustrates the customer
transaction process. When a customer places an order, SuiteStyle collects and stores information
about the customer, order, package, shipping method and payment in the database. For these
reasons, through the creation of the customer transaction ER diagram, SuiteStyle is able to
accurately store and connect the customers relationship during a purchase with SuiteStyle.

Pilot Access Database

Tables
Customer Information
Order Information
Package Details
Product Information
Shipping Methods

!36

Forms
Customer Information
Order Information
Payment Details

Queries

Shipping Method by Day of Week

A crosstab query presents summary information in a compact format that is similar to that of a
spreadsheet. This type of query can present a large amount of data, like the Weekend Orders
query, in a format that is easy to read and interpret. The crosstab query summarizes the data from
the Shipping Method, Day of Week, and Order Date fields from the Weekend Orders table. The
query displays the appropriate information to answer the following question: What is the total
amount of weekday and weekend orders for each shipping method? It is important for
SuiteStyle to answer this question to promote best practices within the shipping department and
guarantee customer satisfaction. At a quick glance, SuiteStyle can decide if a revaluation of
shipping methods on the weekends is necessary. If SuiteStyle is closed on the weekends, but the
majority of customers are opting to buy a more expensive shipping method to ensure a quicker
delivery, Suite Style might need to reconsider operation hours. Without the use of a query, this
information would likely be overlooked. However, with the creation of a crosstab query, this
information is not only available, but extremely easy to interpret.
2014 Revenue
Since SuiteStyle is an extremely new company, it is important to analyze the past in order to
better prepare for the future. 2014 was SuiteStyles first year of operation. The data collected in
these first four months are the basis upon which the future of the company will be built upon.
The 2014 Revenue query is a simple query that reports the amount of revenue created during the year

2014. This query uses information found in three separate tables - Product Information, Package Details,
and Order Information. From these three tables the query calculates the total revenue per order created
and then sums the revenue of all orders. The 2014 Revenue query is a multi-table query that contains a
calculated field and an aggregate field. This query is most helpful to our executive team. The top officials
in SuiteStyle can use the aggregate field to analyze the revenue earned in the first year of operation. From
this number, they can answer whether or not the business was profitable, and thus worth continuing.

Best Selling Product by State

In order to generate customer satisfaction and larger profits, SuiteStyle must be knowledgeable
about customer trends and reactions to SuiteStyles products. For this reason, SuiteStyle
determined that it was necessary to answer questions about consumer behavior through the use of
a query. The Best Selling Product by State query utilizes three tables--Product Information,
Package Details, and Order Information. From these tables, the fields, Shipping States, Product
Name, and Quantity (renamed to Sum of Quantity) were compiled to complete the analysis.
Moreover, this query is an aggregate query and displays the sum of the quantity of each product
sold in every state. Through the use of these features, SuiteStyle created this query to determine

!37

the best-selling product in each state. The query is sorted in alphabetical order by shipping state
in order to enable efficient analysis of the results. Therefore, this provides SuiteStyle with
important information about consumer behavior that is helpful in determining which products
should be restocked at higher rates, which SuiteStyle should consider redesigning, or which
should be discontinued. Overall, by creating a query that displays the best-selling product in each
state, SuiteStyle gains insight into consumer trends that will drive the company towards higher
success and profits.
Giftcard Usage by State
The Giftcard Usage by State query draws data from two tables and uses an aggregate function to
reflect the total amount of money spent in giftcards per state. The information presented in this
query can assist the company in decision making and strategic planning. By analyzing which
states use more giftcards than others, the SuiteStyle marketing and advertising teams can better
target discounts and deals toward specific audiences that will be more receptive to said
marketing strategies. On the other hand, the data presented in this query may also represent the
states in which SuiteStyle has a more established customer base. This can also help SuiteStyles
marketing and advertising teams increase advertising in the lower states, and continue current
strategies in states that are spending more money with SuiteStyle.]
Number of Orders per X Amount
The Number of Orders per x Amount query includes two tables and a parameter within the
criteria. The fields include Total Amount Due and a count of the Customer ID, which is renamed
to Number or Orders. The criteria for total amount consists of a parameter that finds the number
of orders that have been greater than or equal to the amount that the users enters into the
parameter Enter Minimum Order Amount. SuiteStyle strives to provide incentives for its
customers to spend more, which will increase profit for the company. A means the company
could use to do that is providing a $25 credit to any customer that spends more than a certain
amount. SuiteStyle will use this query to determine how much that amount should be. For
example, if the query finds that twenty-four customers have spent more than $50, and only four
customers that have spent more than $250, it would not be profitable for SuiteStyle to use $50 or
$250 as the amount to receive a store credit. If the company were to make $50 the minimum
amount, it would create no incentive for customers to spend more than they typically would and
would only decrease company profit. Moreover, if SuiteStyle were to make the minimum amount
$250, it would be too high to appeal to the companys average customer. This query gives
SuiteStyle the information to determine the best amount to incentivize customers to spend more
to receive a store credit. In using the parameter, the query determines that of SuiteStyles
customers, twenty-four pay $50 or more, and only four pay $250 or more. Therefore, the amount
SuiteStyle should use ideally is a purchase amount between those two amounts. An amount such
as $150 would entice the average customer to spend more, and the above average customer to
spend no less. Overall, this query will assist SuiteStyle in sales decisions such as previously
described, and in return increasing the companys profit.
Products out of Stock
!38

A large part of maintaining a business is maintaining product availability so SuiteStyle can

maximize profits. Even though customers have the option to purchase out of stock products, the
order will take longer to process. This practice is inefficient and many customers will not be
satisfied with the delayed service, resulting in a loss of total revenue. SuiteStyle must drive to
keep products in stock at all times. For these reasons, SuiteStyle created the Products Out of
Stock query to determine product availability and restocking procedures. The query combines the
use of the Product Information and Package Details table, with fields for Product ID, Product
Name, Quantity (renamed to Quantity Ordered), and In Stock. Moreover, the query contains a
calculated IIF field, named Restock, to input Yes if the product is out of stock. Therefore, this
query prompts SuiteStyle which products are unavailable and how much was ordered of the item,
enabling the effective restocking of the products in question.
Revenue Lost to Amex Fees
American Express charges retailers, on average, 3% of all sales compared to rival credit card
companies such as Visa or Mastercard who only charge 2%. Although this 1% difference doesnt
seem like much of an increase, it quickly adds up. The Revenue Lost to Amex Fees query is a
multi-table calculated query with a single criteria that reports the total amount of revenue lost in
fees paid to American Express by SuiteStyle. This query first uses an amex criteria to only
display orders paid for using an American Express credit card. Using a similar calculation as in
the 2014 Revenue query, the query then calculates potential revenue. This value is then recalculated with fees paid to American Express. When the query is ran, the total revenue lost to
American Express is shown. This query is extremely important to the executive team. Choosing
whether or not to accept American Express, and thus pay this additional 1% in fees is a major
executive decision. In accepting amex credit cards, a larger amount of customers will choose to
buy SuiteStyles products. On the other hand, accepting amex credit cards means losing a larger
percentage of potential revenue to fees which means less profit.
Revenue per Product
To be successful, SuiteStyle must sell products that satisfy customer demands. Knowing what the
customer demands can give SuiteStyle the leverage it needs to make important business
decisions. Such decisions involve the amount of inventory needed, what products to sell, and
how to price products. The Revenue per Product query is designed to give insight into customer
demands by calculating the revenue that each product generates. The products that bring in the
most revenue are the most demanded by customers. This query utilizes two tables, the Product
Information table and Package Details table. Its fields include the Product Name, Color, Size,
Quantity, Final Price, and a calculated field for revenue. The revenue is determined by
multiplying final price and quantity. The query is sorted in descending order of revenue so that
most profitable products will appear first. As a result, this query provides SuiteStyle with the
knowledge it needs to identify which products are the most heavily demanded, thus providing
helpful information SuiteStyle needs for the restocking and selling of goods.
Shipping Methods by State
!39

The Shipping Methods by State query includes two tables (Shipping Methods and Order
Information) and a parameter. The fields of this query are Shipping Method, Shipping State, and
Order ID (renamed to Number of Orders). When this query is run, the parameter opens
prompting the user to Enter a State. After the user enters a shipping state, the query determines
a count of the number of orders (Order ID) per each shipping method within the state. This query
will help the shipping department make decisions based on SuiteStyles customer trends. Such
data trends will allow the shipping company to be more aware of the most common shipping
methods used for each state. The shipping department will be able to process orders and have the
means for these orders to be delivered at a more efficient pace because the shipping department
knows what shipment method is typical for customers. This technique will be beneficial to
SuiteStyle and increase its overall productivity
Weekend Orders
The Weekend Orders query is similar to the Weekend Orders 2015 query. SuiteStyle must be
knowledgeable of the shipment methods being used in order to generate customer satisfaction
and profitability. Therefore, by knowing the trends in Shipment Methods on the weekday and
weekends, SuiteStyle can enhance shipment processes. Just as the Weekend Orders 2015 query, it
combines two tables, Shipping Methods and Order Information, and integrates the IIF and
Weekday functions into the calculated field. However, unlike Weekend Orders 2015, this query
displays the Shipping Method, Day of Week, and Order Date for all products ordered (not just
weekend orders of 2015). Although this query will help reevaluate the shipping methods
provided to the customer on the weekends to create a more positive shopping experience, this
query was created to ultimately answer a more specific question: What is the total amount of
weekday and weekend orders for each shipping method? To answer this question, the creation
of the Weekend Orders query was required to create a cross-tabulation query. The cross-tab query
will be explained further in the next section.
Weekend Orders 2015
It is vital for the shipping department at SuiteStyle to have a wide knowledge of shipment
methods being used by the consumer. SuiteStyle offers a wide variety of shipping methods for
the customer that range from UPS Ground to UPS Next Day Air Saver. The price of each
shipping method is determined by the level of priority. Since SuiteStyle does not operate on the
weekend, orders placed on Saturday and Sunday cannot be processed until the following
Monday. As a result, SuiteStyle created the Weekend Orders 2015 query to answer the following
question: Will customers be more likely to purchase a higher priority shipping method on the
weekends to compensate for the delayed delivery? The main reason SuiteStyle wants this
question answered is to promote best practices within the company and ensure customer
satisfaction. If the majority of customers who order products on the weekend opt for an
expedited shipping method, SuiteStyle will want to reevaluate weekend business operation to
ensure customers have a positive purchasing experience. Instead of being closed on weekends,
SuiteStyle should consider having operable weekend hours so consumers are more likely to opt
for the lower-cost delivery methods on the weekend. The query combines two tables, Shipping
!40

Methods and Order Information, and consists three fields, Shipping Method, Order Date, and
Day of Week. The Day of Week field is a calculated field that integrates the IIF function with the
Weekday function nested inside of it. The Weekday formula converts the dates to a numerical
value to correspond to each day of the week (1 equals Sunday and 7 equals Saturday). The IIF
function returns Weekend as the true value for all dates equal to 1 and 7. Moreover, Order Date
criteria was edited to consist of a parameter. The parameter uses a start and end date to show
shipments that have occurred only in 2015 to ensure the most recent use of data. The final query
consists of the order date, a conversion of that date to either weekday or weekend, and the
shipping method for that order. The query helps SuiteStyle keep track of shipping methods and
improve shipping processes to promote customer satisfaction and profitability.

Reports
Customer Billing Information
This report contains billing information regarding customers who have purchased a product or
multiple products from SuiteStyle. It is grouped based on Customer ID. Within each group are
the order(s) the customer has purchased with SuiteStyle (identified by the Order ID) and the
address where this purchase should be billed to, which is sorted in alphabetical order by Billing
State and Billing City.
Customer Contact Information
The Customer Contact Information report contains the contact information all of SuiteStyles
customers. The report is sorted alphabetically by the customers last name and also contains the
Customer ID, first name, phone number, and hyperlinked email address.
Customer Orders
SuiteStyle generated a report to display information on Customer Orders. The report summarizes
Customer ID, Last Name, First Name, Order ID, Order Date, and the Order Process Date in a
professional format. Customer Orders is an example of a report that uses both grouping and
sorting. The report is sorted by Last Name, Order Date, and Order Process Date, and grouped by
Customer ID.
Customer Payment Information
The Customer Payment Information report contains payment information for orders. The report
allows SuiteStyle to analyze who paid for the order, how it was paid, and the amount paid. The
data is grouped by the Order ID and is sorted alphabetically by first name of the credit card name
holder. The report contains subtotals for each order payment and a grand total for all of the
payments made to SuiteStyle.
Orders by Shipping Method

!41

The Orders by Shipping Method report displays orders grouped by shipping method, identified
by Shipping Method ID and Shipping Method. These groups are then sorted in alphabetical order
by Shipping State.
Shipments to Texas
The Shipments to Texas report displays the orders that have been placed with SuiteStyle and were
shipped to Texas. The report is grouped by Customer ID. Information is sorted first by Shipping
State and secondarily by Shipping City to ensure easy interpretation.
Total Amount Due per Product
The Total Amount Due per Product report shows us how much money is made off of each
product. Grouped by Product ID, Package Details IDs are shown with their Total Amount Due
for that package. These amounts are subtotaled into Total Amount Due per Product. All of the
subtotals are then aggregated into a grand total at the end of the report to show the total amount
due from all sales of all products.

!42

Appendix
Tables
Customer Information

!43

Order Information

!44

Package Details

!45

!46

Payment Details

!47

Product Information

!48

Shipping Methods

!49

Queries
Shipping Method by Day of Week

!50

2014 Revenue

!51

Best Selling Product by State

!52

!53

Giftcard Usage by State

!54

Number of Orders per X Amount

!55

Products Out of Stock

!56

!57

!58

!59

Revenue Lost to Amex Fees

!60

Shipping Methods by State

!61

Weekend Orders

!62

!63

Weekend Orders 2015

!64

Forms
Customer Information

!65

Order Information

!66

Payment Details

!67

Reports
Customer Billing Information

!68

!69

!70

Customer Contact Information

!71

Customer Orders

!72

!73

!74

Customer Payment Information

!75

!76

!77

Orders by Shipping Method

!78

!79

!80

Shipments to Texas

!81

!82

!83

Total Amount Due per Product

!84

!85

!86

!87

!88

!89

!90

Division of Labor
Regan was responsible for three sections of the written report. Her first section within the report
was the process model improvements that covered the process model itself and the narrative. The
second topic Regan wrote about covered the collaboration analysis and recommendation for
SuiteStyle. Regans third topic covered the company needs and tangible and intangible benefits
of the database needs and modeling section. Further, within the Access pilot database, Regan
created and wrote about the Revenue per Product, Shipping Methods by State, and Number of
Orders per X Amount queries, and the Customer Contact Information report.
As the team leader, Ellory was responsible for five sections of the written report. Her first
sections within the report was the company description and international expansion. The third
section Ellory wrote about covered SuiteStyles social media analysis and recommendation. She
then wrote about the implementation challenges of a new database. The final section of the
written report that Ellory wrote is the executive summary. Within the Access pilot database,
Ellory created and wrote about the 2014 Revenue, Giftcard Usage per State, and Revenue Lost to
Amex Fees queries. She then created and wrote about the Orders by Shipping Method and Total
Amount Due per Product reports. SuiteStyles tables and forms were created collaboratively
during twice-weekly team meetings and in-class collaboration periods.
Courtney was responsible for two sections of the written report. Her first section within the
report was about the Enterprise-wide systems that covered the analysis and implementation of an
ERP and CRM solution for SuiteStyle. The second topic Courtney wrote about was the analysis
of business intelligence systems and the selection of a solution that will best complement
SuiteStyle. Further, within the Access pilot database, Courtney created and wrote about the BestSelling Product by State and Products Out of Stock queries, and the Customer Billing
Information, Shipments to Texas, and Total Amount Due per Product reports. Also, the creation
of the E-R diagram was a collaborative effort by the whole group, but Courtney was given the
main responsibility of finalizing the diagram, creating it in Access, and explaining its use and
functions within the report.
Madison was responsible for two sections of the written report. Madisons first section of the
report covered the best mobile app usage. In addition to writing about mobile app, she also
designed and created the app online. Madisons second section consisted of the cloud system and
services implemented by SuiteStyle. Further, within the Access pilot database, Madison created
and wrote about 3 queries, including, Weekend Orders, Weekend Orders 2015, and Shipping
Methods by Day of the Week. Madison also created and wrote about the Customer Information
report.

!91